Re: SIG Blaser and Tactical 2 Experiences?
Well, I got a chance to run both of them last week.
I was a little disappointed that the Rep had not properly mounted and zeroed the optics prior to arrival. If I am going to test rifles I don't want to spend time working on the rifle.
I was not first up on the guns since I had some other training commitments. When I got there the other two Snipers (who are in line for the new rifles) had already taken turns on them. The Elevation on the scopes (both Leupolds) were bottomed out and still high on a 100 yard target. The ocular focus was not even close for a 20/20 visoned shooter. I messed with it for a couple minutes, then just drove on since the time frame I was working in was limited.
First up was the Blaser Tactical 2. Loading the magazine was difficult due to the design. Every magazine I have ever used in the past has had "fixed" feed lips. The lips on the Blaser magazine were "floating". Sometimes when attempting to push a round down into the magazine the lips would go down with the follower or top round. It was frustrating and not something that allows you to quickly load magazines.
The second MAJOR issue encountered was demonstrated to me by one of the other Snipers. Most of us who use magazine fed weapons in a "social" environment are taught to seat the magazine briskly with force to ensure that it locks into place. Add some adrenaline and the desire to get the gun back into action fast and you tend to beat things up a bit. When simulating a combat reload with the Blaser the bolt would be back. We took a fully loaded five round magazine and slapped it into the magazine well, seating it with force. This immediately caused the top round to eject itself from the magazine and fall completely out of the receiver. The second round would jump the feed lips badly enough to cause a double-feed if you ran the bolt forward. This was unacceptable. It may have been a magazine issue, but since we did not have any additional magazines I cannot say.
The straight pull bolt took a little getting used to, but worked well. I attempted to lift it after the first shot, but adapted to it quickly. The safety on the Demo rifle was not functioning correctly, and the rifle could not be placed on-safe.
Due to the issues with the scope and mounts the comb was cranked all the way up. This was not conductive to accuracy testing. Even with these issues the Blaser produced groups that were totally adequate for a police rifle.
After the Blaser struggled through it's paces we switched over to the SSG 3000. It felt like a higher quality rifle as soon as I picked it up. The SSG uses a McMillan adjustable stock which I much prefer over the plastic futuristic looking stock on the Blaser. The SSG functioned exactly as it should and no problems were experienced. The bolt was smooth and allowed for fast operation due to the shorter lift than the Remingtons I am used to. Accuracy was acceptable but again, due to scope issued we were unable to really see what this rifle was capable of. The safety on the SSG is interesting in the fact that to place the weapon on-safe you press a lever near the bolt handle protruding from the side of the stock. This extends a button in front of the trigger inside the trigger guard. This button must be pushed up to place the weapon off-safe. The SSG was equipped with a two stage trigger. I am not a fan of two stages on a bolt gun, but it worked well.
The SSG gave the impression of being much more refined than the Blaser. It didn't have the "spacegun cool" that the Blaser did, but if I was taking one into the field the SSG would definitely be my choice.
As it was, I couldn't give either rifle the nod over a standard Remington 700 LTR.
The Rep gave us his wonderful spiel about the hammer forged barrels lasting for a lifetime, but the reality of the matter is I can have a 700 re-barreled with a match tube several times over and still have less money out than purchasing either of the SIGs.
After our testing of the bolt guns the rep brought out the new SIG556. The model that we tested was the LE/Mil version with a 10" barrel, folding stock and four position selector. This rifle ran flawlessly for the 60-70 rounds that we put through it. It's got a relatively fast cyclic rate, but still controllable enough to drop two round bursts in full auto. The selector has settings for safe, semi-auto, three round burst and fully automatic.
The stock on the 556 worked well. It is both side folding and adjusts for length. With the stock extended and locked out shots were fast and easy.
Unfortunately the tested 556 is available only for department purchase. The Rep stated that SIG has no plans to produce a SBR version and the "pistol" 556 uses a different receiver, so you cannot install the LE/Mil model's folding stock on the pistol version.
The SIG Rep did state that SIG is currently working on an AR compatible upper that will use the same short stroke gas system as the 556.
I would have no issues with going through a door with a SIG556 in my hand, but since they are a bit more expensive than a similarly sized/featured M4/M16 they may not appeal to many departments.
Although they were available to fondle, I did not get any trigger time on the 16" civilian legal 556SWAT and 556 Classic.
